world setting

1. #1the calvary

   A Lancer is a mechanized cavalry pilot of particular note. Whatever the mission, whatever the terrain, whatever the enemy, they are the one who is called in to break the siege or hold the line. Earth – or the Cradle, as it is now called – to hail from Earth in the age of Union is exceedingly rare, and as such most lancers likely hail from other places in the vast universe. It has been millennia since humanity left Earth, and most of humanity lives among the stars in our arm of the Milky Way. This humanity is familiar and strange in equal measure. As far as we know, the only sentient, sapient beings in our stellar neighborhood are other humans, but don’t take this as a limitation – there are many roads to becoming a lancer. They might be the product of significant technological and capital investment on the part of their employers; or, they could be a born prodigy – a wunderkind who commands a mech with innate grace and ability, perhaps discovered by a secretive recruiter. They might be a lucky conscript – a battle-proven draftee who managed to survive their first drop, promoted by desperate commanders looking for a hero. They could also be the scion of an ancient, atemporal monarchy, destined to inherit the chassis of their polypatriarch. They could be a jaded volunteer from a Union liberator team, motivated by a closely-guarded ember of hope for a better future; or an anointed Loyal Wing of the Albatross; or a facsimile of a long-dead pilot, grown in batches of thousands; a spacer who has spent too long listening to the deep whispers of the void. Whatever led a lancer to the cockpit of their mech, they are the sum of many parts: enhanced through a combination of training, natural skill, battlefield experience, and neural or physical augmentation, a lancer is the equivalent of a knight of old, a flying ace, or another class of elite warrior. Lancers, many proudly declare, are a cut above other pilots. They aren’t entirely wrong. The recruitment, training, and maintenance of a mech pilot demand the investment of much more time and capital than your average soldier. To operate a mech at peak efficiency, a pilot needs extensive physical and mental training, or advanced (and expensive) physiological and ontological augmentations. Washout and injury rates are high thanks to the demanding training process, but a high bar is necessary: once a candidate attains their final certifications and ships out to their first posting, they face only the most dangerous missions. Mechs aren’t sent in to keep the peace – they’re sent in when all other options have failed. A lancer, represents the best of this exceptional corps. Remember, whatever their history, a lancer is ultimately human. They’re just as flawed as the rest of us, just as perfect. Pilots are heroes and villains; brave souls and cowards; lovers and fighters, all. Some of them stand strong when everyone else runs, or are the first to face danger – our best and brightest. But they, too, break under the pressure; they fail; they kill, even when they could have spared a life. Pilots and lancers are from all walks of life. Every station, criminal history, and economic class is represented in their ranks.

2. #2the mech

   Mechanized cavalry units – mechs – are the primary armored agents around which many states, agencies and militaries base their ground forces. Depending on their chassis, mechs stand anything from 3 to 15 meters tall. They are almost always bi-, quadru-, or hexapedal, and the majority have either one or two sets of arms capable of manipulating weapons and interacting with the environment. Some pilots prefer their mech’s weapon systems to be built directly into the chassis and in some cases – depending on the system’s size and power – this kind of integration might be a necessity. Most mechs are controlled by a single pilot, but some larger, highly advanced platforms require additional crew. Mechs are agile, quick, and responsive machines for their size. They can traverse most solid and vacuum environments and their mobility is often augmented by (or dependent on) maneuvering jets. Still, they’re heavy and reliant on internal cold fusion generators for power. Mech power plants are heavily shielded, reliable, and basically inexhaustible, but should a reactor be compromised the results are catastrophic. Mechs are common enough in construction, hazardous materials cleanup, exploration, and other roles that they don’t shock the average person. Mechanized cavalry, though, are different: they’re military machines that often have a lancer behind the controls - a pilot on the same level as the knights or flying aces of old. Mechs operate on an entirely different level to anything else in Lancer. They’re powered, armored hulks of incredible strength, packed full of advanced systems and weapons. A mech is capable of far more than a person on foot. They grant their pilots the ability to perform feats of incredible strength. While the mech's frame and model itself are important, what is even more important is the skill of the pilot who build them. Often, a lancer builds their own mech, not entirely on their own perhaps, but the mech wouldn't have exist in its present form without the lancer. A lancer has four mech skills that represent their ability to build, pilot, and fight with mechs: HULL describes the ability to build and pilot durable, structurally sound mechs that can take punches and keep going (smashing through or pulverizing obstacles, vehicles, or buildings; lifting, dragging, pushing, or hurling an enormous amount of weight; grabbing or wrestling mechs, starships, or mech-sized creatures; resisting a huge amount of force; or, staying upright in cataclysmic weather). AGILITY describes the ability to build and pilot fast, evasive mechs (chasing, pursuing, or fleeing with incredible speed; performing acrobatics in your mech; hiding or moving silently; performing a feat of fine manual dexterity with your mech; or, dodging out of the way of danger). SYSTEMS describes the ability to build and pilot advanced mechs with powerful electronic warfare capabilities (Roll SYSTEMS when: infiltrating hardened and powerful electronic systems and targets, including other mechs; boosting or suppressing a signal; engaging in electronic warfare; scanning or analyzing information; boosting or weakening the electronic systems of vehicles, mechs, starships, or bases; interacting safely with electronic life forms; or, analyzing the nature of unfamiliar electronic systems). ENGINEERING describes the ability to build and pilot mechs with effective reactors, supplies and support systems (Roll ENGINEERING when: pushing your mech past its limits; withstanding extreme conditions such as heat, cold, void, or radiation; using your mech’s reactor like a forge; keeping your mech running well past its breaking point or for extreme amounts of time; traveling or moving safely through hazardous or hostile conditions; boosting the reactor output of other mechs, starships, or bases; or, conserving and efficiently using ammo, power, and other resources). Mechs are powerful machines, but what makes them more powerful – and a lancer more unique than other pilots – is their ability to source and combine mech weapons, parts, and gear from many different manufacturers. Mechs are modular: each FRAME comes with a list of license-restricted gear that, once unlocked, can be freely swapped between all of a lancer's mechs. Because of this customizability, lancers are as much experts at building their machines as they are piloting them. Lancers never lose access to mechs or gear that they’re licensed to use, almost always have access to it by one means or another, whether influence, patronage, wealth, or rank. Accessing licensed equipment is made even easier by advancements in 3D printing. It’s possible to print entire mechs wholesale. Even if a mech is destroyed in battle, a lancer can easily print a replacement during downtime. The basic structure and components of a mech – its chassis, armor, and mounts – is called its FRAME. A mech’s FRAME determines its appearance, size, and function, defining it as anything from a heavy siege engine to an agile flier, or even a cloaking mech that specializes in electronic warfare. These effects are expressed by a FRAME’S traits. Mechs can only carry a limited number of weapons, determined by their FRAME. Trying to install too many weapons – and their supporting systems – places far too much stress on the mech’s structure and reactor. Weapons mounted on a mech aren’t necessarily attached to the chassis – they can be slung in holsters, built into compartments, or held normally

3. #3size

   a general measurement to roughly estimate the height of a mechanized chassis, with most Mech being Size 1 but some can go up to as large as Size 3. Roughly, anything below 8.2 meters tall are considered Size 0, Size 1 Mechs are around 8.2~12.5 meters tall, Size 2 Mechs are around 12.5~18 meters tall, Size 3 Mechs are around 18~30 meters tall, Size 4 Mechs are around 30~37.5 meters tall, and anything above 37.5 meters is considered Size 5

4. #4core system

   Every FRAME comes with a CORE SYSTEM. These powerful abilities are unique to each FRAME, can’t be transferred to other mechs, and in most cases can only be used once per mission, requiring a full repair/recharge afterward to be reused. Core System refers to a reservoir of high-efficiency reactor power, designed to be used in a quick burst. This reservoir is essential to the high-powered systems many mechs use in emergency situations and heavy action. At any given time, a mech either has Core System or it doesn’t. There’s no way to save it up or store extra Core System, aside from some rare equipment

5. #5core bonus

   Keys:

   As a mech pilot acquires more licenses, they gain knowledge and skills specific to individual manufacturers and their design philosophies. This specialized know‐ ledge is represented by core bonuses, unique enhancements that offer interesting ways to customize their mech. Core bonuses are permanent improvements that apply to any FRAME said pilot uses.

6. #6talent
7. #7death
8. #8cloning
9. #9goal
10. #10status condition
11. #11mech weapons
12. #12artificial intelligence

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